Can ovarian cancer be treated?

Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
Updated on September 05, 2024
00:00
00:00

Ovarian cancer is certainly treatable. Its treatment methods include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. For patients with early-stage ovarian cancer, the treatment is mainly radical surgery, followed by determining the need for additional adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy based on specific pathological staging, the presence of high-risk factors for recurrence such as vascular tumor thrombus and neural invasion, and the situation of lymph node metastasis. For patients with advanced ovarian cancer, the treatment may involve debulking surgery and chemotherapy, with chemotherapy being the main treatment. Chemotherapy also needs to take into account the patient's general condition, along with local pelvic radiotherapy. These are the treatment methods for ovarian cancer, and the specific treatment plan should be selected based on staging and the patient's general condition, as well as the presence of other serious underlying diseases.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
40sec home-news-image

Ovarian Cancer Dietary Precautions

The occurrence of ovarian cancer is not greatly related to dietary habits, so there are no special dietary restrictions or forbidden foods for patients with ovarian cancer. In Western medicine, unlike Traditional Chinese Medicine, which mentions certain "stimulating foods," there are no such prohibitions. Therefore, the diet for patients with ovarian cancer is the same as for anyone else, only requiring a balanced, comprehensive nutrition, and a combination of meat and vegetables. There are no special dietary considerations needed.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
1min home-news-image

Symptoms of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer patients, especially those in the early stages, typically have inconspicuous symptoms, possibly without any noticeable discomfort. The disease is often discovered during gynecological examinations through the detection of abdominal masses. In advanced-stage patients, as the abdominal mass progressively enlarges, symptoms may include abdominal pain, lower abdominal bloating, and pelvic pressure symptoms due to compression of nearby organs. There may be partial intestinal obstruction, presenting as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and inability to pass stool or gas. Another symptom is ascites, characterized by progressive enlargement and bloating of the abdomen. Ascites is a common clinical manifestation in ovarian cancer patients, and a significant portion of patients are diagnosed with ovarian cancer after presenting with ascites as the initial symptom.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
1min 11sec home-news-image

Is ovarian cancer curable?

Early-stage ovarian cancer patients, meaning those without extensive ascites buildup, and without widespread implant metastasis in the pelvic and abdominal cavity, and without metastasis to distant organs like the liver and lungs. These very early-stage ovarian cancer patients can undergo radical surgery. Postoperative treatment decisions, such as whether postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy is needed, are based on the postoperative pathological report, which looks for high-risk factors for recurrence such as vascular cancer emboli or neural invasion. Through these treatment approaches, very early-stage ovarian cancer patients can achieve a cure, but this is not absolute. It's not guaranteed that every early-stage ovarian cancer patient can be cured, as there are individual differences. Clinically, if there is no recurrence or metastasis within five years, it is considered a cure.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
1min 12sec home-news-image

Does ovarian cancer cause abdominal pain every day?

Patients with ovarian cancer often experience abdominal pain as a common symptom. This is because ovarian cancer can widely implant itself within the pelvic and abdominal cavity, or directly invade the uterus, fallopian tubes, and other tissues and organs within the pelvis, resulting in symptoms of abdominal pain. However, not every patient with ovarian cancer will necessarily exhibit abdominal pain as a clinical symptom, nor is it the case that abdominal pain will occur every day. For instance, some patients with early-stage ovarian cancer may have more concealed clinical presentations and may not experience any specific discomfort. They might discover the disease through physical examinations, gynecological exams, or through ultrasound scans of the uterine adnexa conducted during physical check-ups.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhou Chen
Oncology
1min 12sec home-news-image

How is ovarian cancer diagnosed?

Early screening for ovarian cancer allows for about 20% of cases to be diagnosed in their early stages. Detection generally follows these procedures: 1. Routine gynecological health check-ups. 2. Visiting a hospital due to certain symptoms. 3. Ovarian cancer screening. Common methods include transvaginal ultrasound and serum CA125 testing. Additional tests include tumor marker CA125 and checks for AFP, CA19-9, and CEA. Ultrasonography (B-ultrasound) can preliminarily determine the tumor size, shape, solidity, location, and its relation to surrounding organs. CT scans and MRI can further clarify the tumor's nature and the extent of invasion into the abdominal and pelvic organs. If necessary, gastroscopy can be performed to rule out primary gastrointestinal tumors, and if economic conditions allow, a PADCT scan can also be conducted.